Rule generation system adapted for an insurance claim processing system

ABSTRACT

A rule generation system facilitates the dynamic generation of rules for an insurance claim processing computer system. The rule generation system includes various modules and graphical user interfaces that provide a streamlined mechanism for creating new rules for the insurance claim processing architecture. The rule generation system may include various levels of usability that distinguish between an advanced user of the rule generation system and basic user that uses the generated rules. The rule generation system may also include graphical user interfaces directed to adding, editing, removing, or maintaining rules for the insurance claim processing computer system.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The following co-pending and commonly assigned U.S. Patent Applicationshave been filed on the same date as the present application: U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. ______, “A Conversational Question GenerationSystem Adapted for an Insurance Claim Processing System”, (Attorney Ref.No. 10022/1099), filed herewith, U.S. patent application Ser. No.______, “Container Generation System for a Customizable Application,”(Attorney Ref. No. 10022/1160), filed herewith, and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. ______, “Page Navigation Generation System for aCustomizable Application”, (Attorney Ref. No. 10022/1161), filedherewith, all of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

This insurance application relates to processing insurance claims, andin particular, to a rule generation system for an insurance claimprocessing computer system.

2. Related Art

In processing insurance claims from an insurance customer, an insuranceclaim agent typically asks a variety of questions to the insurancecustomer. An insurance claim processing center typically employs aninsurance claim processing computer system for processing insuranceclaims from insurance customers. The insurance claim processing computersystem may be used by various employees at the claim processing centersuch as insurance claim agents. The insurance claim processing computersystem may be operative to display various graphical user interfacesthat an insurance claim agent uses when asking questions to an insurancecustomer and when the insurance claim agent receives answers to thosequestions.

In some circumstances, the insurance claim processing center desires toorder the presentation of questions and various graphical userinterfaces. However, an insurance claim processing computer system isusually extremely complex and requires an individual, such as a computerprogram developer, who has a skill set that includes the computerprogramming language in which the insurance claim processing computersystem was written. Hence, the insurance claim processing center incursadditional burdens, including fees to the computer program developer andlag time, each time the insurance claim processing center desires tochange the order or display of the graphical user interfaces. Inaddition, when an insurance claim processing center does not have thepersonnel with the technical skill set to add or create questions usingthe insurance claim processing computer system, the insurance claimprocessing center realizes additional expenses in training or hiring thepersonnel with the requisite skill set.

Moreover, making modifications to existing insurance claim processingcomputer systems requires disabling access to and shutting down thesystems connected to the insurance claim processing computer system.Hence, when the insurance claim processing center desires to change theorder or display of the graphical user interfaces, the insurance claimprocessing center must shut down the entire insurance claim processingcomputer system. This shutting down process results in downtime of theinsurance claim processing center, which translates into lost revenueand lost worker productivity.

SUMMARY

A rule generation system dynamically generates rules for an insuranceclaim processing computer system. The dynamically generated rules may beused as part of the insurance claim processing computer system forpresenting graphical user interfaces or other communication interfaces.The rule generation system includes various modules and graphical userinterfaces that provide a streamlined mechanism for creating new rulesand modifying pre-existing rules for the insurance claim processingcomputer system. In addition, the rule generation system minimizes theneed to learn a complicated computer language or syntax each time aconversational question is created. The rule generation system mayinclude various levels of usability that distinguish between a questionprogrammer that programs questions for the rule question generationsystem and an insurance claim agent.

In general, a rule may be considered an evaluative expression. A usermay use the rule generation system to generate or modify differentcategories of evaluative expressions. Examples of evaluative expressionsinclude navigation evaluative expressions, display evaluativeexpressions, and discrepancy message evaluative expressions. Anevaluative expression may have one or more evaluative expressionparameters representing one or more conditional statements thatcorrespond to the evaluative expression category of the evaluativeexpression. In addition, different categories of evaluative expressionsmay have different evaluative expression parameters. For example, anavigation evaluative expression may have different evaluativeexpression parameters than a display evaluative expression or adiscrepancy message evaluative expression. The rule generation systemmay use one or more graphical user interfaces to assign values to thedifferent categories of evaluative expressions.

In one implementation, the rule question generation system includes amemory storage device in communication with various system components,such as a processor. The memory storage device stores an evaluativeexpression database that has been configured with an evaluativeexpression framework. The evaluative expression framework may encompassdifferent categories of evaluative expressions.

The evaluative expression database may employ various tables toimplement the evaluative expression framework. By way of example, theevaluative expression database may employ an evaluative expressiontable, an evaluative expression support table, an evaluative expressiontext table, an evaluative expression association table, and a commonevaluative expression table. The evaluative expression database mayemploy more or less tables depending on the evaluative expressionframework.

The memory storage device may also store executable instructions thatdefine evaluative expression modules for generating, editing, ormodifying evaluative expressions. In one implementation, the executableinstructions define an evaluative expression parameter module, anevaluative expression generator module, a common evaluative expressionmodule, an evaluative expression parameter module, and an advancedevaluative expression module. The executable instructions may beoperative to define more or less modules. Each of the modules may beassociated with one or more graphical user interfaces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The innovation may be better understood with reference to the followingdrawings and description. The components in the figures are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustratingthe principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures,like-referenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views.

FIG. 1 shows one example of a rule generation system.

FIG. 2 shows various modules implemented by the executable instructionsets of FIG. 1 in communication with an evaluative expression database.

FIG. 3 shows one example of an evaluative expression communicationinterface implemented by the evaluative expression parameter module ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows another example of an evaluative expression communicationinterface implemented by the evaluative expression parameter module ofFIG. 2 that displays the details of a navigation rule.

FIG. 5 shows another example of an evaluative expression communicationinterface implemented by the evaluative expression parameter module ofFIG. 2 that displays the details of a discrepancy rule.

FIG. 6 shows another example of an evaluative expression communicationinterface implemented by the evaluative expression parameter module ofFIG. 2 for adding a new rule.

FIG. 7 shows another example of an evaluative expression communicationinterface implemented by the evaluative expression parameter module ofFIG. 2 for editing the details of a display rule.

FIG. 8 shows another example of an evaluative expression communicationinterface implemented by the evaluative expression parameter module ofFIG. 2 for editing the details of a discrepancy rule.

FIG. 9 shows an example of an evaluative expression communicationinterface implemented by the common evaluative expression module of FIG.2 for displaying common rules.

FIG. 10 shows another example of an evaluative expression communicationinterface implemented by the common evaluative expression module of FIG.2 for editing common rules.

FIGS. 11-15 show various examples of building an advanced rule using anevaluation expression communication interface implemented by theadvanced evaluative expression module of FIG. 2.

FIG. 16 shows a further example of an evaluative expressioncommunication interface implemented by the evaluative expressionparameter module of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 17-23 show additional examples of evaluation expressioncommunication interfaces implemented by the advanced evaluativeexpression module of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 24-25 show examples of evaluation expression communicationinterfaces implemented by the discrepancy evaluative expression moduleof FIG. 2.

FIG. 26 shows an example of logic flow for generating an evaluativeexpression using the rule generation system of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

System Overview

While the embodiments described herein relate to insurance claimprocessing, the modules and other systems described may be adopted forany system that uses databases, Internet technologies, graphical userinterfaces, or other communication interfaces.

In general, an insurance claim processing computer system uses graphicaluser interfaces to present questions to an insurance claim agent or aninsurance customer. The questions may be part of an insuranceapplication of the insurance claim processing computer system, such as afirst notice of loss insurance application or an underwriting insuranceapplication. Although the questions may be any type of question, thequestions may relate to the specific insurance application. For example,in a first notice of loss insurance application, the questions mayrelate to an insurance claim.

The graphical user interfaces may be displayed as part of a web page,which is usually a file of information made available for viewing on theWorld Wide Web and displayable in an Internet browser or other computerprogram. The web page may be sub-divided into sections, referred to as“containers” in the present insurance application. The insurance claimprocessing computer system may populate the containers with questions.

The web pages are presented to an insurance claim agent or insurancecustomer as part of an organized structure of the insurance application,wherein the organized structure includes a series of sequential nodesand each node represents a web page. The web page may be displayed in awindow of a computer program, such as an Internet web browser. Ingeneral, the term “window” refers to a portion of a computer monitorthat contains its own document or message. In window-based computerprograms, the screen may be divided into several windows, each of whichhas its own boundaries and may contain a different document, or adifferent view of the same document. A window may also be a modalwindow, which may require user input or other action before anotherwindow is displayed. In alternative implementations, the nodes may benon-sequential or a node may represent a window.

The organized structure may include nodes relating to any part of theinsurance application. For example, in a first notice of lossapplication, an organized structure may include nodes relating to thewitnesses of an accident, the insurance policy information of aninsurance customer, or other aspect of an insurance claim. With regardto the previous example, an insurance claim agent may encounter one ormore nodes in processing an insurance claim.

To maintain the organization of the web pages, nodes, containers, andquestions, the insurance claim processing computer system may employvarious evaluative expressions, also known as rules, directed to each ofthese elements. For example, the insurance claim processing computersystem may have rules relating to the display of questions, to thenavigation of web pages, and to evaluating whether answers to thequestions conflict with expected answers or previously given answers.

Because the insurance claim processing computer system may have manyrules, maintaining these rules and creating additional rules is often adaunting task. Hence, a rule generation system assists in the creationand maintenance of these rules.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the rule generation system 102. The rulegeneration system 102 includes several components for adding,maintaining, expiring or deleting evaluative expressions used by theinsurance claim processing computer system. In one implementation, therule generation system 102 includes a display 104, a network interface106, a processor 108, and various input/output devices 110, such askeyboards, mice, hard drives, floppy drives, optical disk drives, orother input/output devices. The rule generation system 102 also includesa memory storage device 112 that stores executable instruction sets 114that are executable by the processor 108. The memory storage device 112also stores an evaluative expression database 116 that implements anevaluative expression framework 118, which defines different categoriesof evaluative expressions.

The rule generation system 102 may generate many different categories ofthe evaluative expressions. As previously discussed, the differentcategories of evaluative expressions may relate to the web pages of theinsurance claim processing computer system, navigating through the webpages of the insurance claim processing computer system, determiningwhether discrepancies exist in the insurance claim processing computersystem, or other aspects. In one example, the different categories ofevaluative expressions may include, but are not limited to, page displayrules, navigation rules, and discrepancy rules. However, in otherexamples, the rule generation system 102 also may generate, modify, orotherwise maintain other categories of evaluative expressions.

In one implementation, page display rules determine whether an elementof the insurance claim processing computer system, such as a questionfor an insurance customer, should be visible or not visible on a webpage. For example, if the page display rule evaluates to a predeterminedresult, such as Boolean true, the element is visible on the web page;otherwise, if the page display rule evaluates to a differentpredetermined result, such as Boolean false, the element is not visibleon the web page.

Navigation rules define the order in which web pages are displayed. Forexample, a navigation rule may determine which web page should benavigated to when leaving the current web page. However, anothernavigation rule may determine the order in which the web pages aredisplayed.

Discrepancy rules may determine whether there are discrepancies in theinsurance claim processing computer system. Examples of discrepancyrules include evaluative discrepancy rules and node result discrepancyreport rules. In general, evaluative discrepancy rules determine whetherdata discrepancies exist in the insurance claim processing computersystem, and node result discrepancy report rules determine whether thereare node discrepancies in the insurance claim processing computersystem. The rule generation system 102 may also support other categoriesof discrepancy rules.

In addition to the various categories of rules, the rule generationsystem 102 may support different types of evaluative expressions withinthose categories. In one implementation, the rule generation system 102supports at least two evaluative expression types: a common rule typeand an advanced rule type. The common rule type may define rules thathave commonly-used parameters or commonly-used evaluative expressions. Acommon rule may define evaluative expression parameter categories andassign predetermined evaluative expression parameter values to thevarious evaluative expression parameter categories. In contrast, theadvanced rule type may be one or more system-configured oruser-configured rules that have a custom set of parameters or a customset of evaluative expressions. The rule generation system 102 may befurther operative to generate a rule that includes rules from both thecommon rule type and the advanced rule type. In this implementation,common rule types and advanced rule types are examples of differenttypes of rules. The rule generation system 102 also may be operative tosupport different types of rules other than common rule types andadvanced rule types.

The rule generation system 102 may be in communication with multipleinsurance claim processing center employee client computers 122-126through a network 120. The insurance claim processing center employeeclient computers 122-126 may include a developer client computer 122, aquestion programmer client computer 124 and an insurance claim agentclient computer 126. The client computers 122-126 may have differentcategories of access levels for accessing the rule generation system102. For example, the developer client computer 122 may have the highesttier access level, the question programmer client computer 124 may havea mid-tier access level, and the insurance claim agent 127 may have thelowest tier access level.

The different access levels may grant different categories of access tothe rule generation system 102. For example, the highest tier accesslevel may grant access to modify the executable instruction sets 114,the evaluative expression framework 118, or any other components 104-118of the conversational question generation system 102. In contrast, themid-tier access level may restrict access to activities relating toevaluative expressions, such as generating the different categories ofrules, modifying one or more rules, or removing rules from theevaluative expression database 116. Finally, the lowest tier accesslevel may restrict access to displaying rules and providing parametersto the various categories of rules.

Furthermore, the different access levels may be further subdivided intoadditional access levels. For example, the mid-tier access level maydistinguish between basic users and advanced users. In general, the rulegeneration system 102 assigns a basic user to be a business analyst withlimited exposure to technology, and assigns an advanced user to be anindividual who has a solid understanding of the supporting technology ofthe insurance claim processing computer system. In one implementation,the rule generation system 102 permits an advanced user to set anyproperty of a rule when creating and editing a rule. In contrast, therule generation system 102 limits the basic user such that the basicuser may only enter a subset of the properties of a rule. In addition,the lowest tier access level and the highest tier access level maydistinguish between different categories of users accessing the rulegeneration system 102.

Table Structures

FIG. 2 shows an example of various modules 212-220 implemented by theexecutable instruction sets 114 of FIG. 1 in communication with theevaluative expression database 116, and shows additional detailsregarding the evaluative expression framework 118. In general, theevaluative expression framework 118 supports the various categories ofrules. In one implementation, the evaluative expression framework 118includes database tables 202-210 that contain parameter values formultiple different categories of rules. In the example of FIG. 2, theevaluative expression framework 118 includes an evaluative expressiontable 202, an evaluative expression support table 204, an evaluativeexpression text table 206, an evaluative expression association table208, and a common evaluative expression table 210. In other examples,the evaluative expression framework 118 may include additional or fewercategories of rules to achieve the functionality described herein.

In general, the common evaluative expression table 210 includes criteriathat govern the order and contents in which an insurance claimprocessing computer system places and displays information to a user.The placing and displaying of information may be further based on thetype of insurance application that uses the common rule. For example, acommon rule may be assigned to a first notice of loss insuranceapplication or may be assigned to an underwriting insurance application.Assignment to other insurance applications is also possible. The commonevaluative expression table 210 includes multiple evaluative expressionentries that define the parameters for a rule of a common rule type.Table 1 below shows one implementation of the evaluative expressiontable 210. Table 1 includes a column for entry names, the category ofdata stored by the entry, whether the entry is initially set to a nullvalue, whether the entry is used as a primary key, and whether the entryis used as a foreign key. In general, the term “primary key” refers toan entry or field that serves as a unique identifier of a specific rowin a table. In general, the term “foreign key” refers to an entry orfield that identifies a column or a set of columns in one (referencing)table that refers to a column or set of columns in another (referenced)table. Alternative arrangements of the common evaluative expressiontable 210 are also possible. For example, the common evaluativeexpression table 210 may include more or less entries than shown inTable 1.

TABLE 1 Is Is Pri- For- Data mary eign Name Category Null Option Key?Key? N_CNV_COMM_RULE_ID char(16) NOT NULL Yes No N_INSURANCE char(16)NOT NULL No Yes APPLICATION_ID C_CATEGORY int NULL No No N_DISPLAY_COLint NULL No No N_CODE_SORT_COL int NULL No No N_CTGY_SORT_SEQ int NULLNo No C_GROUP_RMU_KEY char(16) NOT NULL No No M_QUES_XML_NM char(16) NOTNULL No No D_EFFECTIVE datetime NOT NULL No No D_EXPIRATION datetime NOTNULL No No C_RCD_DEL char(1) NOT NULL No No D_CREATE_TS datetime NOTNULL No No D_LAST_UPDT_TS datetime NOT NULL No No N_LAST_MOD char(16)NOT NULL No No N_LAST_UPDT int NOT NULL No No N_SYSTEM_MOD char(8) NOTNULL No No

Each of the entries of the common evaluative expression table 210 maycorrespond to an evaluative expression parameter for a rule associatedwith a common rule type. The N_CNV_COMM_RULE_ID entry represents acommon rule identifier parameter that is a unique identifier for acommon rule. The common rule identifier parameter for theN_CNV_COMM_RULE_ID entry may be generated by the rule generation system102 or by the insurance claim processing computer system.

The N_INSURANCE APPLICATION_ID entry represents a common rule insuranceapplication identifier parameter whose value is a unique identifier forthe insurance application to which the common rule is assigned. Forexample, the N_INSURANCE APPLICATION_ID entry may indicate that thecommon rule is assigned to a first notice of loss insurance applicationof the insurance claim processing center. As another example, theN_INSURANCE APPLICATION_ID entry may indicate that the common rule isassigned to an underwriting insurance application of the insurance claimprocessing center.

The C_CATEGORY entry represents a common rule code/decode categoryparameter. In general, the common rule code/decode category parameterrepresents a predetermined value for a category of related items. Forexample, the predetermined value of the common rule code/decode categoryparameter may be a numerical value of “18,” which may represent thecountries of the world. The common rule code/decode category parametermay have one or more associated common rule code/decode category itemparameters. A common rule code/decode category item parameter mayrepresent a predetermined value for a specific item from a category ofrelated items. For example, the common rule code/decode category itemparameter value may be the numerical value of “001,” which, incombination with the common rule code/decode category parameter value of“18,” would represent the United States of America. In this example, theC_CATEGORY entry would store the numerical value “001.” However, inother examples, the common rule code/decode category item parametervalue of “001,” may represent another item based on the parameter valueof the common rule code/decode category parameter. In addition, when thecommon rule is displayed, an evaluative expression communicationinterface may also display one or more category items associated withthe common rule code/decode category parameter as selectable parametervalues for the common rule. Examples of common rules that may bedisplayed according to the C_CATEGORY entry include the states of theUnited States of America, the countries of the world, Lines of Business,Type of Loss, and other related items.

The N_DISPLAY_COL entry represents a common rule display parameter whosevalue is used by an insurance application of the insurance claimprocessing computer system to determine which code/decode column todisplay. The code/decode columns may include the C_CATEGORY entry, abusiness processing entry that is an alphanumeric representation of acategory item associated with the C_CATEGORY entry, a short descriptionentry that is a short description of the business processing entry, anda long description entry that is a long description of the businessprocessing entry. Other code/decode columns are also possible. TheN_DISPLAY_COL entry may be assigned any number of numerical values. Forexample, a value of “1” may cause the display of the contents of thebusiness processing entry, a value of “2” may cause the display of thecontents of the short description entry, and a value of “3” may displaythe contents of the long description entry.

In addition, the combination of a common rule code/decode categoryparameter value and business processing entry may cause the rulegeneration system 102 to display a predetermined value, such as thevalue of the short description entry or the value of the longdescription entry, to the user.

The N_CODE_SORT_COL entry represents a common rule sort parameter whosevalue determines the code/decode column to sort. In one implementation,the rule generation system 102 is configured to display items in orderof the business processing entry, the short description entry, the longdescription entry, or any other entry. For example, a value of “1” maycause sorting on the contents of the business processing entry, a valueof “2” may cause sorting on the contents of the short description entry,and a value of “3” may cause sorting on the contents of the longdescription entry.

The N_CTGY_SORT_SEQ entry represents a common rule position parameterwhose value identifies the position in an evaluative expressioncommunication interface where the code/decode values associated with thecode/decode category parameter values are displayed.

The C_GROUP_RMU_KEY entry represents a common rule RMU parameter whosevalue is the RMU key for display of the group header information. Ingeneral, an RMU key is a look-up value for a dynamic link library thatreturns a literal representation of a key.

The M_QUES_XML_NM entry represents a common rule name parameter whosevalue is a text representation of the rule name. The common rule nameparameter may be used in searching for the rule by the insurance claimprocessing computer system.

The D_EFFECTIVE entry represents a common rule effective parameter whosevalue indicates the effective calendar date of the common rule.Similarly, the D_EXPIRATION entry represents a common rule expirationparameter whose value indicates the expiration date of the common rule.In one implementation, the D_EFFECTIVE entry indicates the calendar dayon which the insurance claim processing computer system should beginusing or displaying a common rule, and the D_EXPIRATION entry indicatesthe calendar day on which the insurance claim processing computer systemshould stop using or displaying a common rule.

The common evaluative expression table 210 may also have computer systementries that represent parameters whose values are generated by theinsurance claim processing computer system. For example, the C_RCD_DELentry, the D_CREATE_TS entry, the D_LAST_UPDT_TS entry, the N_LAST_MODentry, the N_LAST_UPDT entry, and the N_SYSTEM_MOD entry are examples ofentries that have parameter values that are automatically generated bythe insurance claim processing computer system. In otherimplementations, the common evaluative expression table 210 may havemore than or less than the number of computer system entries shown inTable 2.

The C_RCD_DEL entry represents a deleted parameter whose valueidentifies whether a common rule is marked as deleted. In oneimplementation, the common rule is logically deleted from the evaluativeexpression database 116 and not physically deleted from the evaluativeexpression database 116. However, in other implementations, the commonrule may be physically deleted from the evaluative expression database116.

The D_CREATE_TS entry represents an added calendar date parameter whosevalue indicates a calendar date for when the common rule was added tothe table. The D_LAST_UPDT_TS entry represents an updated calendar dateparameter whose value indicates when the common rule was last updated.The N_LAST_MOD entry represents a user parameter whose value indicatesthe user who last updated or created the common rule in the evaluativeexpression database 116. The N_LAST_UPDT entry represents a parameterwhose value changes every time a record is modified. In oneimplementation, the N_LAST_UPDT is updated by the insurance claimprocessing computer system and is used by optimistic locking. TheN_SYSTEM_MOD entry represents a parameter whose value indicates the rulegeneration system 102 that updated the common rule.

In addition to a common evaluative expression table 210, the evaluativeexpression framework 118 may also include an evaluative expressionassociation table 208. In one implementation, the evaluative expressionassociation table 208 operates as a linking table between the tables202-210 by providing rule association types for rules in the variousevaluative expression categories. The entries of the evaluativeexpression association table 208 describe the rule association type fora rule.

Table 2 shows an example of one implementation of the evaluativeexpression association table 208. Alternative arrangements of theevaluative expression association table 208 are also possible. Forexample, the evaluative expression association table 208 may includemore or less entries than shown in Table 2. The evaluative expressionassociation table 208 may also have entries similar or identical to theentries found in the common evaluative expression table 210. Forpurposes of brevity, where the evaluative expression association table208 has entries similar to the common evaluative expression table 210, adiscussion of those entries has been omitted.

TABLE 2 Data Is Primary Is Foreign Name Category Null Option Key? Key?N_CONV_RULE_ASN_ID char(16) NOT NULL Yes No N_CONV_TEXT_ID char(16) NOTNULL No Yes N_RULE_SEQ int NULL No No N_WEB PAGETYPE_ID char(16) NOTNULL No Yes N_QUESTION_ID char(16) NOT NULL No Yes N_INSURANCE char(16)NOT NULL No Yes APPLICATION_ID C_RULE_ASSOC_TYP char(5) NOT NULL No NoM_CONTAINER_NM varchar(254) NOT NULL No No T_CONV_RULE varchar(2000) NOTNULL No No N_NAV_RULE_TRUE char(16) NOT NULL No No N_NAV_RULE_FALSEchar(16) NOT NULL No No M_CONTAINER_NM_UC varchar(254) NOT NULL No NoT_DATA_TYP_DET_OVR varchar(254) NOT NULL No No

The N_CONV_RULE_ASN_ID entry represents a system rule associationidentifier parameter whose value is a unique numerical value. The systemrule association identifier parameter value may be generated by the rulegeneration system 102 or another system, such as the insurance claimprocessing computer system.

The N_CONV_TEXT_ID entry represents a system rule text identifierparameter whose value is a unique value that identifies a message text.The system rule text identifier parameter value may be generated by therule generation system 102 or another system, such as the insuranceclaim processing computer system.

The N_RULE_SEQ entry represents a rule sequence parameter whose valueindicates the order in which one or more rules should be evaluated.

The PAGETYPE_ID entry represents a web page type identifier parameterwhose value is a unique value that identifies the web page to which arule is associated. For example, a web page type identifier parametervalue of “INSUREDVEHTLE” represents that the web page of the insuredvehicle total loss evaluator is associated with the rule. The web pagetype identifier parameter value may be generated by the rule generationsystem 102 or another system, such as the insurance claim processingcomputer system.

The N_QUESTION_ID entry represents a question identifier parameter whosevalue is a unique value that identifies a question in the insuranceclaim processing computer system. The question identifier parametervalue may be generated by the rule generation system 102 or anothersystem, such as the insurance claim processing computer system.

The N_INSURANCE APPLICATION_ID entry represents an insurance applicationidentifier parameter whose value is a unique identifier that identifiesan insurance application in the insurance claim processing computersystem. Examples of insurance applications in the insurance claimprocessing computer system include a first notice of loss insuranceapplication and an underwriting insurance application.

The C_RULE_ASSOC_TYP entry represents a rule association type parameterwhose value is a code/decode value identifying the evaluative expressioncategory of the rule. The rule association type parameter value may be apredefined value, such as a numerical value that identifies whether arule is a display rule, a navigation rule, or a discrepancy rule. Forexample, display rules may be associated with the value of “1,”navigation rules may be associated with the value of “2,” anddiscrepancy rules may be associated with the value of “3.” Other valuesare also possible depending on the number and type of evaluativeexpression categories implemented in the rule generation system 102.

The M_CONTAINER_NM entry represents a rule container parameter whosevalue indicates the identification number of the container where a ruleis located. In general, a container is a sub-section of a web page. Inone implementation, the rule container parameter is assigned a valuewhen the C_RULE_ASSOC_TYP entry identifies that the rule is a displayrule.

The T_CONV_RULE entry represents a multiple rule name parameter. TheT_CONV_RULE entry stores multiple rule names from the M_RULE_NM entry ofthe evaluative expression table 202. The rule generation system 102 orthe insurance claim processing computer system refers to the T_CONV_RULEentry to combine the evaluative expressions represented by each of therule names into one complete evaluative expression. Rule generationsystem 102 or the insurance claim processing computer system evaluatesand expands the complete evaluative expression at run time.

The N_NAV_RULE_TRUE entry represents a rule navigation parameter whosevalue indicates the web page in the insurance claim processing computersystem where the insurance claim processing computer system shouldnavigate to when the navigation rule associated with the rule navigationparameter evaluates to a predetermined value, such as Boolean true. Insome implementations, a web page may have multiple navigation rules.Where a web page has multiple navigation rules, the insurance claimprocessing computer system uses the first rule navigation parameter of anavigation rule that evaluates to the predetermined value, such asBoolean true, to determine the web page to which the insurance claimprocessing computer should navigate. A keyword may be assigned to theN_NAV_RULE_TRUE entry to also indicate the web page to which theinsurance claim processing computer system should navigate. An exampleof a keyword is “NAVNEXT,” which would indicate to the insurance claimprocessing computer system that the insurance claim processing computersystem should navigate to the next sequential web page after the currentweb page.

The N_NAV_RULE_FALSE entry represents a rule navigation parameter whosevalue indicates the web page in the insurance claim processing computersystem where the insurance claim processing computer system shouldnavigate to when the navigation rule associated with the rule navigationparameter evaluates to a predetermined value, such as Boolean false. Insome implementations, a web page may have multiple navigation rules.Where a web page has multiple navigation rules, the insurance claimprocessing computer system may use the last rule navigation parameter ofa navigation rule that evaluates to the predetermined value, such asBoolean false, to determine the web page to which the insurance claimprocessing computer should navigate. A keyword may be assigned to theN_NAV_RULE_FALSE entry to also indicate the web page to which theinsurance claim processing computer system should navigate. An exampleof a keyword is “NAVNEXT,” which would indicate to the insurance claimprocessing computer system that the insurance claim processing computersystem should navigate to the next sequential web page after the currentweb page.

The M_CONV_QUESTION TEXT_NM_UC entry represents an uppercase containername parameter whose value is the name of the container on which therule appears. The insurance claim processing computer system may use theuppercase container name parameter to facilitate name searches in theevaluative expression database 116.

The T_DATA_TYP_DET_OVR entry represents a datatype override parameterwhose value indicates whether the insurance claim processing computersystem should override the datatype of a previously configured question.The datatype override parameter value either replaces the datatype of aquestion where the previously configured question has a datatype, or isappended to the datatype of a question where the previously configuredquestion does not have a datatype.

Furthermore, the evaluative expression framework 118 may also includethe evaluative expression text table 206. In one implementation, theevaluative expression text table 206 contains entries for the text ofdiscrepancy messages associated with discrepancy rules. The evaluativeexpression text table 206 may also support the internationalization ofdiscrepancy messages.

Table 3 shows an example of one implementation of the evaluativeexpression text table 206. Alternative arrangements of the evaluativeexpression text table 206 are also possible. For example, the evaluativeexpression text table 206 may include more or less entries than shown inTable 3. The evaluative expression text table 206 may also have entriessimilar or identical to the entries found in the other tables 202-210.For purposes of brevity, where the evaluative expression text table 206has entries similar to the tables 202-210, a discussion of those entrieshas been omitted.

TABLE 3 Name Data Category Null Option Is Primary Key? Is Foreign Key?N_CONV_TEXT_ID char(16) NOT NULL Yes No N_SEQUENCE_NUM int NOT NULL YesNo C_LOCALE char(5) NOT NULL Yes No C_UPPERCASE_IND char(1) NOT NULL YesNo N_INSURANCE char(16) NOT NULL No Yes APPLICATION_ID T_MSG_TEXTvarchar(4000) NOT NULL No No M_CONV_TEXT_NM varchar(50) NOT NULL No NoM_CONV_TEXT_NM_UC varchar(50) NOT NULL No No C_DISC_MSG_IND char(16) NOTNULL No No C_RCD_DEL char(1) NOT NULL No No D_CREATE_TS datetime NOTNULL No No D_LAST_UPDT_TS datetime NOT NULL No No N_LAST_MOD char(16)NOT NULL No No N_LAST_UPDT int NOT NULL No No N_SYSTEM_MOD char(8) NOTNULL No No N_LAST_UPDT int NOT NULL No No

In one implementation, the entries of the evaluative expression texttable 206 correspond to a text parameter of a rule. The parameter valuesfor the text parameters may be provided by any number of actors orsystems. For example, the text parameter values may be provided by aninsurance claim agent, provided by an insurance customer using agraphical user interface, or another provided by system in communicationwith the rule generation system 102.

The N_CONV_TEXT_ID entry represents a system text identifier parameterwhose value is a unique numerical value. The system text associationidentifier parameter value may be generated by the rule generationsystem 102 or another system, such as the insurance claim processingcomputer system.

The N_SEQUENCE_NUM entry represents a sequence number parameter whosevalue is a sequence number when the message text of a rule is greaterthan a predetermined rule text character limit. In one implementation,the rule text character limit is 4000 characters. In thisimplementation, when the number of characters in the rule text of a ruleis less than 4000 characters, the N_SEQUENCE_NUM parameter value is 0.However, when the number of characters in the rule text of a rule isless than 4000 characters, the N_SEQUENCE_NUM parameter value starts ata predetermined value, such as the number 1, and as additional rows ofrule text are added, the N_SEQUENCE_NUM parameter value is incrementedby a predetermined value, such as being incremented by 1, and theincremented parameter value is associated with the added rule text.

The C_LOCALE entry represents a rule language parameter whose value is apredefined value that indicates the language of the rule text. TheC_LOCALE entry enables the use of multiple languages for a rule. A rulemay have multiple C_LOCALE entries. In one implementation, the C_LOCALEentry indicates a number and the number is associated with a language.For example, the number “001” may be associated with “English” and thenumber “245” may be associated with French. In this example, a rule thatis associated with multiple C_LANGUAGE entries is displayable inmultiple languages. The language of the rule text may be selected basedon input provided by a user, based on a selection by the rule generationsystem 102, or based on selection by the insurance claim processingcomputer system.

The C_UPPERCASE_IND entry represents an uppercase indicator parameterwhose value is assigned a logic value, such as a Boolean true value or aBoolean false value. In one example, a Boolean true value indicates thatthe text associated with a rule is displayable in uppercase alphanumericcharacters, and a Boolean false value indicates that the text associatedwith a rule is displayable in both lowercase and uppercase alphanumericcharacters. The insurance claim processing computer system may refer tothe C_UPPERCASE_IND entry when performing text searches for rules in theevaluative expression database 116.

The T_MSG_TEXT entry represents a rule message text parameter whosevalue is a text message associated with a rule. For example, the rulemessage text parameter may be a text message associated with adiscrepancy message or other rule.

The M_CONV_TEXT_NM represents a rule text name parameter whose value isa unique identifying name of the rule text associated with the rule. Therule text name parameter value may be used by the rule generation system102, by the insurance claim processing computer system, or any othersystem, for searching and selecting the rule text associated with therule.

The M_CONV_TEXT_NM_UC entry represents an uppercase rule text nameparameter whose value is an uppercase parameter value of the parametervalue stored in the M_CONV_QUESTION TEXT_NM entry. The insurance claimprocessing computer system may use the uppercase rule text nameparameter to facilitate name searches in the evaluative expressiondatabase 116.

The C_DISC_MSG_IND entry represents a discrepancy message indicatorparameter that indicates whether the text is used for a discrepancy ruleor for a question.

Additionally, the evaluative expression framework 118 may also includethe evaluative expression support table 204. In one implementation, theevaluative expression support table 204 contains entries that supportcreating a common rule, an advanced rule, or a combination of the ruletypes.

Table 4 shows an example of one implementation of the evaluativeexpression support table 204. Alternative arrangements of the evaluativeexpression support table 204 are also possible. For example, theevaluative expression support table 204 may include more or less entriesthan shown in Table 4. The evaluative expression support table 204 mayalso have entries similar or identical to the entries found in the othertables 202-210. For purposes of brevity, where the evaluative expressionsupport table 204 has entries similar to the tables 202-210, adiscussion of those entries has been omitted.

TABLE 4 Is Pri- Is Data mary Foreign Name Category Null Option Key? Key?N_CONV_RULE_LIB_ID char(16) NOT NULL Yes Yes T_COMMON_RULE char(16) NOTNULL No No T_ADVANCED_RULE char(16) NOT NULL No No C_RCD_DEL char(1) NOTNULL No No D_CREATE_TS datetime NOT NULL No No D_LAST_UPDT_TS datetimeNOT NULL No No N_LAST_MOD char(16) NOT NULL No No N_LAST_UPDT int NOTNULL No No N_SYSTEM_MOD char(8) NOT NULL No No

The N_CONV_RULE_LIB_ID entry is a primary support key parameter whosevalue is both a primary key of the evaluative expression support table204 and a foreign key to the evaluative expression table 202.

The T_COMMON_RULE entry is a common rule parameter whose value is thecommon portion of a rule. Where a rule does not have a common portion,the value of the common rule parameter may be a null value. TheT_COMMON_RULE entry may refer to one or more entries, such as the T_RULEentry, of the evaluative expression table 202.

The T_ADVANCED_RULE entry is an advanced rule parameter whose value isthe advanced portion of a rule. Where a rule does not have an advancedportion, the value of the advanced rule parameter may be a null value.The T_ADVANCED_RULE entry may refer to one or more entries, such as theT_RULE entry, of the evaluative expression table 202.

Furthermore, the evaluative expression framework 118 may also includethe evaluative expression table 202. In one implementation, theevaluative expression table 202 contains entries that define theparameters for a rule. The entries of the evaluative expression table202 may refer to other entries of the tables 204-210, or the entries ofthe tables 204-210 may refer to entries in the evaluative expressiontable 202. A rule defined by the entries of the evaluative expressiontable 202 may be a common rule, an advanced rule, or combination rulethat includes both a common rule and an advanced rule.

Table 5 shows an example of one implementation of the evaluativeexpression table 202. Alternative arrangements of the evaluativeexpression table 202 are also possible. For example, the evaluativeexpression table 202 may include more or less entries than shown inTable 5. The evaluative expression table 202 may also have entriessimilar or identical to the entries found in the other tables 204-210.For purposes of brevity, where the evaluative expression table 202 hasentries similar to the tables 204-210, a discussion of those entries hasbeen omitted.

TABLE 5 Name Data Category Null Option Is Primary Key? Is Foreign Key?N_CONV_RULE_ID char(16) NOT NULL Yes No N_INSURANCE char(16) NOT NULL NoYes APPLICATION_ID N_ORG_ENTY_ID char(16) NOT NULL No Yes M_RULE_NMvarchar(254) NOT NULL No No T_RULE varchar(2000) NOT NULL No NoD_EFFECTIVE datetime NOT NULL No No D_EXPIRATION datetime NOT NULL No NoC_RULE_ASSOC_TYP char(5) NOT NULL No No M_RULE_NM_UC varchar(254) NOTNULL No No C_RCD_DEL char(1) NOT NULL No No C_RULE_NBR char(16) NOT NULLNo No D_CREATE_TS datetime NOT NULL No No D_LAST_UPDT_TS datetime NOTNULL No No N_LAST_MOD char(16) NOT NULL No No N_LAST_UPDT int NOT NULLNo No N_SYSTEM_MOD char(8) NOT NULL No No

The N_CONV_RULE_ID entry represents a rule identifier parameter whosevalue is a unique identifier for a rule. The rule identifier parametermay be used as the primary key for the evaluative expression table 202.The rule identifier parameter value may be generated by the rulegeneration system 102 or by another system, such as the insurance claimprocessing computer system.

The N_ORG_ENTY_ID entry represents an organization entity identificationparameter whose value is a foreign key to the organization entityidentification number of the employee who created the conversationalquestion.

The M_RULE_NM entry represents a rule name parameter whose value is aunique set of alphanumeric characters that identify the name of therule. The rule generation system 102 may provide that the rule nameparameter value be in a preconfigured format. For example, rulegeneration system 102 may provide that the rule name parameter valuestart with ?̂ and end with “̂?,” such as in “?̂BusinessRuleName1̂?”. TheM_RULE_NUM entry may be referenced by other tables 204-210, such as theevaluative expression association table 208.

The T_RULE entry represents an expression parameter whose value is thetext expression of the rule. The expression parameter value may bewritten in the XML Path Language (“XPATH”) or other expression language.In addition, the format of the expression parameter value may be basedon the evaluative expression category associated with the rule. Forexample, display rules and navigation rules may have a type offormatting for the expression parameter, while discrepancy rules mayhave another type of formatting. The expression parameter value may alsobe assigned a predetermined value, such as a Boolean value of “true” or“false,” to indicate that the rule should always evaluate to thepredetermined value, such as to always evaluate as true or to alwaysevaluate as false. Assigning a predetermined value to the expressionparameter may provide organization of the web pages displayed by therule generation system 102 or the insurance claim processing computersystem, such as by eliminating questions or web pages from the system inan orderly fashion, or setting up questions or rules that do not affectthe current insurance application.

The M_RULE_NM_UC entry represents an uppercase rule name parameter whosevalue is an uppercase name of the rule name parameter value of theM_RULE_NM entry. The insurance claim processing computer system may usethe uppercase rule name parameter to facilitate name searches in theevaluative expression database 116.

The executable instruction sets 114 of FIG. 2 implement various modulesthat are used to populate the evaluative expression database 116according to the evaluative expression framework 118. In oneimplementation, the executable instructions sets 114 implement anevaluative expression parameter module 212, a common evaluativeexpression module 214, an advanced evaluative expression module 216, adiscrepancy evaluative expression module 218, and an evaluativeexpression generator module 220. However, in other examples, theexecutable instruction sets 114 may implement more or fewer modules thatencompass the functionality described herein.

The evaluative expression parameter module 212 is operative to receiveevaluative expression parameter values that correspond to evaluativeexpression parameters. The evaluative expression parameter module 212may use a graphical user interface or other communication interface toreceive the evaluative expression parameter values. For example, theevaluative expression parameter module 212 may receive manually enteredevaluative expression parameter values from one of the client computers122-126 through network 120. As another example, the evaluativeexpression parameter module 212 may receive the evaluative expressionparameter values from one of the components 104-110 of the rule questiongeneration system 102, such as from the I/O devices 110 (FIG. 1). Inaddition, the evaluative expression parameter values may be provided byany number of actors or systems. For example, the evaluative expressionparameter values may be manually provided by an insurance claim agent,manually provided by an insurance customer using a graphical userinterface, or provided by another system in communication with the rulegeneration system 102.

The evaluative expression parameter module 212 is also in communicationwith the common evaluative expression module 214. The common evaluativeexpression module 214 is operative to receive common evaluativeexpression parameters for a rule. In general, rules of the insuranceclaim processing computer system may have parameters in common, and thecommon evaluative expression module 214 may be operative to define theseparameters. In addition, the common evaluative expression parameters maybe based on previously configured questions of the insurance claimprocessing computer system. Furthermore, the common evaluativeexpression parameters may vary by insurance application. In oneimplementation, during operation, the common evaluative expressionmodule 214 communicates with the evaluative expression database 116 todetermine the current insurance application, and displays thecommonly-used parameters associated with the current insuranceapplication. Examples of common evaluative expression parameters includeFNOL Loss Type (Property, Auto, Liability, etc.), FNOL Cause of Loss(Collision, Comprehensive, Theft, etc.), Loss Location Country (USA,Canada, etc.), Loss Location State (New Jersey, Newfoundland, etc.).Other common evaluative expression parameters are also possible.

The evaluative expression parameter module 212 is also in communicationwith the advanced evaluative expression module 216. The advancedevaluative expression module 216 is operative to define an advanced ruleusing a combination of advanced rule parameters and advanced ruleoperands. In one implementation, the advanced evaluative expressionmodule 216 receives the advanced rule parameters as part of a manualentry procedure by a user, such as an insurance claim agent. In anotherimplementation, the advanced evaluative expression module 216 implementsan advanced parameter user input form that assists a user in formulatingan advanced rule. The advanced parameter user input form helps a userdefine advanced rule parameters including, but not limited to, advancedrule attributes, advanced rule parameter values, advanced rule answervalues, and advanced rule operands. The guided procedure then generatesan advanced rule from the input provided by the user. The advancedevaluative expression module 216 may be operative to edit the receivedadvanced rule parameters and advanced rule parameter values after theadvanced rule is generated based on user-provided input.

Discrepancy rules that are configured as advanced rules may haveadditional advanced rule parameters. Where a user starts the process ofcreating a discrepancy rule using the advanced evaluative expressionmodule 216, the advanced evaluative expression module 216 also mayreceive a node count parameter value and a node attribute parametervalue manually entered by a user or other system through a communicationinterface.

The evaluative expression parameter module 212 also communicates withthe discrepancy evaluative expression module 218. The discrepancyevaluative expression module 218 is operative to receive rulediscrepancy parameters manually entered by a user. The discrepancyevaluative expression module 218 is further operative to display ormodify the discrepancy messages associated with a discrepancy rule. Forexample, the discrepancy evaluative expression module 218 may beoperative to display a message associated with a discrepancy rule whenthe discrepancy is evaluated to a predetermined value, such as Booleantrue. The discrepancy evaluative expression module 218 also may beoperative to associate discrepancy rules with questions of the insuranceclaim processing computer system using input provided by a user. Theuser may use a control, such as a graphically displayed button, tosearch for and attach a new discrepancy rule or change the message thatis associated with the rule. The user may also associate a discrepancyrule with a previously configured question.

During operation, after the rule parameter values have been received fora rule, the evaluative expression parameter module 212 communicates withthe evaluative expression generator module 220 to generate the rule. Theevaluative expression parameter module 212 may communicate any number ofrule parameter values to the evaluative expression generator module 220including common rule parameter values, advanced rule parameter values,display rule parameter values, navigation rule parameter values,discrepancy rule parameter values, or other parameter values. Theevaluative expression generator module 220 receives the rule parametervalues from the evaluative expression parameter module 212 and generatesa rule from these rule parameter values. In one implementation, theevaluative expression generator module 220 communicates with theevaluative expression database 116 to populate the entries of the tables202-210 with the rule parameter values received from the evaluativeexpression parameter module 212.

Detail Rule Parameter Interface

The modules 212-220 may implement one or more evaluative expressioncommunication interfaces for receiving rule parameters. In oneimplementation, the evaluative expression parameter module 212implements one or more evaluative expression communication interfaces asgraphical user interfaces displayable in a web browser or other computerdisplay program. FIG. 3 shows one example of adisplay-detail-evaluative-expression communication interface 300implemented by the evaluative expression parameter module of FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the display-detail-evaluative-expressioncommunication interface 300 displays the details regarding a rule. Thedisplay-detail-evaluative-expression communication interface 300 maydisplay the details regarding any of the categories of rules, includingdisplay rules, navigation rules, and discrepancy rules.

The display-detail-evaluative-expression communication interface 300 mayinitially display a detail rule parameter interface. The detail ruleparameter interface is operative to initially display interfaceselection controls 312-316. The interface selection controls 312-316include a detail parameter selection control 312, a common ruleselection control 314, and an advanced parameter selection control 316.The detail parameter interface is also operative to display adiscrepancy message selection control (not shown) when a selected ruleis a discrepancy rule.

Selecting one of the interface selection controls 312-316 causes thedisplay of one of several different evaluative expression communicationinterfaces. For example, selecting the detail parameter selectioncontrol 312 communicates to the evaluative expression parameter module212 to display the detail rule parameter interface. The detail ruleparameter interface generally displays details about a selected rule andwhere the selected rule is used in an insurance application. As anotherexample, selecting the common rule selection control 314 communicates tothe common evaluative expression module 214 to display one or morecommon-parameter-evaluative-expression communication interfaces. As afurther example, selecting the advanced parameter selection control 316communicates to the advanced evaluative expression module 216 to displayone or more advanced-parameter-evaluative-expression communicationinterfaces. Other communication interfaces are also displayable,including discrepancy-message-evaluative-expression communicationinterfaces. Hence, a user may switch between thecommon-parameter-evaluative-expression communication interfaces,advanced-parameter-evaluative-expression communication interfaces, anddiscrepancy-message-evaluative-expression communication interfaces usingthe interface selection controls 314-316.

The detail rule parameter interface also includes various displaysections. In one implementation, the detail rule parameter interfaceincludes a rule detail display section 318 and a location displaysection 320. The rule detail display section 318 screen displays variousrule parameters about a selected rule. The rule parameters may defineone or more properties about a selected rule, such as the name of therule, the application to which the rule belongs, whether the rule is adisplay, navigation, or discrepancy rule, when the rule should go intoeffect, when the rule should be no longer used, the user who created therule and when the rule was created. In one implementation, duringoperation, the rule generation system 102 automatically generates a ruleidentifier parameter value for the rule, and automatically determinesthe user who created the rule and when the rule was created.

Table 6 shows an example of rule parameters displayed in the displaysection 320 and their associated entries in the evaluative expressiontable 202. Table 6 lists the rule parameter, a brief description of therule parameter, and the evaluative expression table entry from theevaluative expression table 202 associated with the rule parameter.

TABLE 6 Rule Parameter Name Brief Description Evaluative ExpressionEntry Rule Name The rule name. M_RULE_NM Initial focus in Add New orCreate Like mode. Rule Number The rule identification number assigned bythe insurance claim C_RULE_NBR processing computer system. Rule Type Therule category associated with the rule. C_RULE_NBR Application The nameof the application that the rule is used in. C_RULE_ASSOC_TYP EffectiveDate The calendar on which the rule becomes effective. C_RULE_ASSOC_TYPInitial focus in Edit mode. Expiration Date The calendar date on whichthe rule expires. D_EFFECTIVE Initiated by The name of the user whocreated the rule. M_EXPIRATION Initiated Date The calendar date that therule was initiated. N_ORG_ENTITY_ID Last Modified by The name of theuser that last modified the rule. D_CREATE_TS Last Modified date Thecalendar date that the rule was last modified. M_RULE_NM

The location display section 320 of the detail rule parameter interfacedisplays rule parameters that relate to where in the insurance claimprocessing computer system the rule is used. The rule parametersdisplayed in the location display section 320 may be based on theevaluative expression category associated with the rule. For example, adisplay rule may have a different set of rule parameters displayed inthe location display section 320 than a navigation rule. Similarly, anavigation rule may have a different set of rule parameters displayed inthe location display section 320 than a discrepancy rule. However, it isalso possible that rules of different evaluative expression categories,such as display rules and navigation rules, share similar or identicalrule parameters that are displayed in the location display section 320.

The location display section 320 may also include various links to partsof the insurance claim processing computer system where the rule isused. In one implementation, the links are implemented as hyperlinks.The links provided for the rule may vary depending on the category ofthe rule. For example, the location display section 320 may display oneset of links for a display rule, another set of links for a navigationrule, and yet a further set of links for a discrepancy rule. As oneexample of links that are displayed, the location display section 320may display links to each web page that is associated with a selectednavigation rule. Alternatively, or in addition, the location displaysection 320 may display links for displaying windows that are associatedwith a selected navigation rule. As explained with reference to FIG. 8,as another example, where the selected rule is a discrepancy rule, thelocation display section 320 displays the process names that areassociated with the discrepancy rule and further assists the user inassociating a process to a discrepancy rule.

Table 7 shows an example of rule parameters displayable in the locationdisplay section 320. Table 7 lists the rule parameters, a briefdescription of the rule parameter, and the evaluative expressioncategory associated with the rule parameter.

TABLE 7 Evaluative Rule Parameter Expression Name Brief DescriptionCategory Question Text The text of the question that uses Display therule as a display rule. Question Name The Question XML Name used as aDisplay hyperlink to a question details web page for the listed questionContainer Name The name of the container that Display holds the questionin the same record. The container name links to a web page forcustomizing the container. Page Node The XML path (page node name) ofDisplay the web page on which the question appears. Page Name Ahyperlink displaying the page Navigation display literal for the pagethat the navigation rule is associated to. Navigation Rule Displayswhere to navigate to if a Navigation True rule is true. Navigation RuleDisplays where to navigate to if a Navigation False rule is false.Process Name The name of the process that will Discrepancy trigger therunning a discrepancy when the process is completed.

The detail rule parameter interface also includes various controls302-310. The controls 302-310 control the detail rule parameterinterface and may be configured for creating, editing, and viewing ruleparameter values of a selected rule. One or more controls 302-310 mayalso be operative to instruct the evaluative expression parameter module212 to display additional or alternative evaluative expressioncommunication interfaces including a new-rule-evaluative-expressioncommunication interface, an edit-display-evaluative-expressioncommunication interface, an edit navigation evaluative expressioncommunication interface, an edit-discrepancy-evaluative-expressioncommunication interface, or other interfaces. Thedisplay-detail-evaluative-expression communication interface 300 may beconfigured for a view mode, such as shown in FIG. 3. Other evaluativeexpression communication interfaces, such as thenew-rule-evaluative-expression communication interface may be associatedwith an add mode. Examples of other modes include an edit mode or othermodes. Additional controls may be displayed in the detail rule parameterinterface based on the mode of the evaluative expression communicationinterface. For example, a reset control element (not shown in FIG. 3)may be displayed when an evaluative expression communication interfaceis displayed that is associated with an edit mode.

In addition, using the controls 302-310, a user may delete a rule,generate a new rule, generate a new rule using existing rule parametervalues, expire a rule, etc. Any number of controls may be included inthe display-detail-evaluative-expression communication interface 300 formodifying or manipulating rules. Table 8 lists an example of displayablecontrols in the detail rule parameter interface, a brief description ofthe controls, and the modes of the detail rule parameter interfaceassociated with the controls.

TABLE 8 Control Name Brief Description Mode Add New Selecting thiscontrol launches a new instance of the detail View rule parameterinterface in add mode. Create Like Selecting this control while viewinga preconfigured rule View launches a new instance of the detail ruleparameter interface in add mode and uses the current rules criteria as astarting point to create a new rule. Expire Sets the rule's expirationto the current date. View Delete Deletes an inactive unassociated rulefrom the evaluative View expression tables. Reset Resets the form to itslast saved state. Add, Edit Message box requests confirmation of actionif changes had been made. Displayed in edit mode. Back Returns thesystem to previously viewed page. Add Message box requests confirmationof action if changes had been made. Displayed in edit mode. Save Savesthe data to the evaluative expression database. Add, Edit Defaultcontrol in Edit mode. Validates syntax of advanced rules, if present.Edit Enables the user to edit an existing rule. View Default button inview mode

FIG. 3 also shows that the display-detail-evaluative-expressioncommunication interface 300 is associated with a view mode. In the viewmode, the detail rule parameter interface of thedisplay-detail-evaluative-expression communication interface 300displays the controls of an add control 302, a create-like control 304,an expire control 306, a delete control 308, and an edit control 310. Inalternative implementations, the detail rule parameter interface maydisplay other controls.

The add control 302 is operative to instruct the evaluative expressionparameter module 212 to start the process of creating a new rule. Theevaluative expression parameter module 212 then displays anew-rule-evaluative-expression communication interface associated withan add mode. The new-rule-evaluative-expression communication interfaceis further explained with reference to FIG. 6.

The create-like control 304 is operative to instruct the evaluativeexpression parameter module 212 to start the process of creating a newrule having rule parameter values similar to an existing rule. Ingeneral, the create-like control 304 is used in conjunction with apreviously selected pre-existing rule. For example, the pre-existingrule may be selected by a user using the detail rule parameterinterface. In one implementation, selecting the create-like control 304causes the evaluative expression parameter module 212 to communicatewith the evaluative expression database 116 to retrieve rule parametervalues from the entries of the evaluative expression tables 202-210 forthe previously selected pre-existing rule. The evaluative parametermodule 212 then copies each of the rule parameter values associated withthe previously configured rule and stores the copied rule parametervalues in the memory storage device 112. After copying each of the ruleparameter values to the memory storage device 112, the evaluativeparameter module 212 then retrieves each copied parameter value andpopulates the evaluative expression tables 202-210 with the copied ruleparameter values. The evaluative parameter module 212 then displays thecopied rule parameter values using the detail rule parameter interface.In one implementation, after selecting the create-like control 304, thedetail rule parameter interface may prompt the user to provide adifferent rule parameter name value from the rule parameter value of thepreviously selected pre-existing rule.

The expire control 306 is operative to instruct the evaluativeexpression parameter module 212 to expire a rule. In one implementationof expiring a rule, the evaluative expression parameter module 212 setsthe expiration date of the rule to the current calendar date.Alternatively, a user may provide an expiration date parameter value,which would instruct the evaluative expression parameter module 212 toexpire the rule on the calendar date provided by the expiration dateparameter value. The evaluative expression parameter module 212 may setthe expiration date by communicating with the evaluative expressiondatabase 112 and modifying one or more of the evaluative expressiontables 202-210.

In some implementations of the rule generation system 102, theevaluative expression parameter module 212 may prevent or prohibit theexpiration of rules. For example, the evaluative expression parametermodule 212 may prohibit the expiration of a rule where the rule isassociated with a container, question, or other element of the insuranceclaim processing computer system. In prohibiting the expiration of arule where the rule is associated with a container, the evaluativeexpression parameter module 212 may examine the associatedM_CONTAINER_NM entry of the rule to determine whether the associatedM_CONTAINER_NM entry is populated with a rule container parameter value.Where the associated M_CONTAINER_NM entry is populated with a rulecontainer parameter value, the evaluative expression parameter module212 may prohibit the expiration of the rule. In prohibiting theexpiration of a rule where the rule is associated with a question, theevaluative expression parameter module 212 may examine the associatedN_QUESTION_ID entry to determine whether the associated N_QUESTION_IDentry is populated with a question identifier parameter value. Where theassociated N_QUESTION_ID entry is populated with a question identifiervalue, the evaluative expression parameter module 212 may prohibit theexpiration of the rule.

The delete control 308 is operative to instruct the evaluativeexpression parameter module 212 to delete a rule. Depending upon theconfiguration of the insurance claim processing computer system,deleting a rule may be a logical deletion or a physical deletion. Forexample, a logical deletion includes marking one or more entries in theevaluative expression tables 202-210 that a rule has been deleted. Aphysical deletion may include removing one or more rows from theevaluative expression tables 202-210 associated with the rule. In alogical deletion, the evaluative expression parameter module 212 maypopulate one or more entries of the tables 202-210 with a value toindicate that the rule has been deleted. For example, in logicallydeleting a rule, the evaluative expression parameter module 212 maypopulate the C_RCD_DEL entry of the tables 202-210. Alternatively, theevaluative expression parameter module 212 may communicate a deletecommand to the insurance claim processing computer system, which maythen perform the logical deletion of the selected rule. In a physicaldeletion, the evaluative expression parameter module 212 may communicatea delete command to the insurance claim processing computer system,which may then perform the physical deletion of the selected rule.

The rule generation system 102 may also have safeguards in placerelating to the deletion of a rule. For example, the rule generationsystem 102 may prevent or prohibit the deletion of a rule where the ruleis an active rule; that is, the rule generation system 102 may preventthe deletion of a rule if the rule is in use by the insurance claimprocessing computer system or if the rule is still associated withcontainers, questions, or other entities. In prohibiting the deletion ofa rule where the rule is associated with a container, the evaluativeexpression parameter module 212 may examine the associatedM_CONTAINER_NM entry of the rule to determine whether the associatedM_CONTAINER_NM entry is populated with a rule container parameter value.Where the associated M_CONTAINER_NM entry is populated with a rulecontainer parameter value, the evaluative expression parameter module212 may prohibit the deletion of the rule. In prohibiting the deletionof a rule where the rule is associated with a question, the evaluativeexpression parameter module 212 may examine the associated N_QUESTION_IDentry to determine whether the associated N_QUESTION_ID entry ispopulated with a question identifier parameter value. Where theassociated N_QUESTION_ID entry is populated with a question identifiervalue, the evaluative expression parameter module 212 may prohibit thedeletion of the rule.

FIGS. 4-5 show other examples of evaluative expression communicationinterfaces implemented by the evaluative expression parameter module 212when viewing different categories of rules. FIG. 4 shows an example of anavigation-detail-evaluative-expression communication interface 400 thatdisplays the details of a navigation rule using a detail rule parameterinterface. FIG. 5 shows an example of adiscrepancy-detail-evaluative-expression communication interface 500that displays the details of a discrepancy rule using a detail ruleparameter interface. As shown in FIG. 4 and in FIG. 5, the evaluativeexpression parameter module 212 displays different rule parametersdepending on the category of the selected rule.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a new-rule-evaluative-expressioncommunication interface 600 implemented by the evaluative expressionparameter module 212 for adding a new rule. In one implementation,during operation, a user provides various rule parameter valuesincluding a rule name parameter value, a rule type parameter value, anapplication parameter value, an activate date parameter value, anexpiration data parameter value, and other values. In providing a rulename parameter value, the rule name parameter value may be an XML name.The evaluative expression parameter module 212 may perform one or morechecks to determine whether a valid name was provided. For example, theevaluative expression parameter module 212 may use pattern-matching,regular expressions, a previously configured syntax, or other techniquesto determine whether a valid name was provided for the rule nameparameter value.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, the rule type parameter value may affectthe display of the location display section 320 and the advancedevaluative expression communication interface of the advanced evaluativeexpression module 216.

The evaluative expression parameter module 212 may have one or morepreconfigured safeguards for the various rule parameters. Thepreconfigured safeguards may be stored as part of the executableinstruction sets 114, as part of the programming for the evaluativeexpression parameter module 212, or stored in the memory storage device112 and retrievable by the evaluative expression parameter module 212.For example, when a new rule is added, the effective data parametervalue for the rule may have a default calendar date of the followingcalendar date. Similarly, the expiration date may have a default date ofa future calendar date. When adding a rule, the expiration date may beset to system default expiration date. In addition, during operation,the evaluative expression parameter module 212 may determine whether theexpiration date parameter value is a calendar date prior to the currentdate. Similarly, the evaluative expression parameter module 212 maydetermine whether the effective date parameter value is a calendar datethat occurs after the current date.

Some or all of the rule parameter values may be provided by the rulegeneration system 102 or the insurance claim processing computer system.For example, the rule generation system 102 may provide the “initiatedby” parameter value and the initiated date parameter value. The“initiated by” parameter value may by the username or some otheridentifier of the current user adding the rule. The initiated dateparameter value may be the date on which the rule was added or created.

FIGS. 7-8 show examples of evaluative expression communicationinterfaces implemented by the evaluative expression parameter module 212for editing different categories of rules. FIG. 7 shows an example of anedit-display-evaluative-expression communication interface 700 forediting the properties of a display rule. In one implementation, theproperties that are editable for a display rule include the effectivedate parameter value and the expiration date parameter value. However,in other implementations, alternative or additional parameters are alsoeditable.

Although not shown, an edit navigation evaluative expressioncommunication interface may be configured similarly to anedit-display-evaluative-expression communication interface. In oneimplementation, the properties that are editable for a navigation ruleinclude an effective date parameter value and an expiration dateparameter value. However, in other implementations, alternative oradditional parameters are also editable.

FIG. 8 shows an example of an edit-discrepancy-evaluative-expressioncommunication interface 800 implemented by the evaluative expressionparameter module 212 of FIG. 2 for editing the details of a discrepancyrule. In one implementation, the editable rule parameters for adiscrepancy rule include the effective date parameter, the expirationdate parameter, and the process name rule parameter. In otherimplementations, alternative or additional rule parameters are alsoeditable.

Common Rules

Briefly referring back to FIG. 3, a user may view the common rulesassociated with a selected rule or may add common rules to a newly addedrule using the common rule selection control 314. FIG. 9 shows anexample of a display-common-evaluative-expression communicationinterface 900 implemented by the common evaluative expression module 214of FIG. 2 for displaying common rules as common evaluative expressionparameters. The display-common-evaluative-expression communicationinterface 900 displays various common rules 902-908 and evaluativeexpression communication interface controls 910-912. The evaluativeexpression communication interface controls include a back control 910and an edit control 912. In this example, the common rules include anFNOL Cause of Loss common rule 902, a Loss Location country common rule904, an FNOL Loss Type common rule 906, and a Loss Location state 908.In other examples, the common rules may include rules relating tocountries, states, the type of accident, the cause of an accident, orother common rules.

Each of the common rules 902-908 includes common rule parameter values.In the example of FIG. 9, the currently selected rule from FIG. 3 isassociated with the four common rules 902-908 and one or more of theirassociated common rule parameter values. The common evaluativeexpression module 214 may read from one or more of the evaluativeexpression tables 202-210 to determine which common rules to display.For example, the common evaluative expression module 214 may retrievethe parameter value stored in the T_RULE entry of the evaluativeexpression table 202 or the T_COMMON_RULE entry of the evaluativeexpression support table 204.

The evaluative expression module 214 is also operative to implement anadd-common-evaluative-expression communication interface for addingcommon rules to a newly created rule or a previously configured rule.FIG. 10 shows an example of an add-common-evaluative-expressioncommunication interface 1000 for adding common rules and associatedcommon rule parameters to a newly created rule or a previouslyconfigured rule. The add-common-evaluative-expression communicationinterface 1000 may include any number of controls, including a resetcontrol 1002 and a save control 1004. In one implementation, the commonrules displayed on the evaluative expression communication interface1000 are based on the insurance application associated with the rule andthe evaluative expression tables 202-210.

Using the evaluative expression communication interface 1000, a user mayselect one or more parameter values from a common rule for associatingwith the selected rule. Where the user selects multiple parameter valuesfrom a common rule, the evaluative expression module 214 logicallycouples the common rule parameter values together, such as with aBoolean “OR” statement, and groups the common rule parameter valueswithin parenthesis to create an evaluative expression string. Theevaluative expression string may then be used as an XPath query or otherquery. An example of creating an evaluative expression string using alogical OR of multiple common rule parameter values is:(\\LossLocationState=‘Alabama’ OR \\LossLocationState=‘Alaska’ OR\\LossLocationState=‘Arizona’ OR \\LossLocationState=‘Arkansas’).

In addition, a user may select more than one common rule for associatingwith the selected rule. Where the user selects multiple common rules,the evaluative expression module 214 logically couples the common ruleparameter values for the various common rules, such as with a Boolean“AND” statement, to create an evaluative expression string. Theevaluative expression string may then be used in a predetermined queryformat, such as an XPath query or some other query format. An example ofcreating an evaluative expression string using a logical AND of multiplecommon rule parameter values is \\FNOLLossType=‘Automobile’ AND(\\FNOLCauseOfLoss=‘Collision’ OR \\FNOLCauseOfLoss=‘Comprehensive’) AND(\\LossLocationState=‘Alabama’ OR \LossLocationState=‘Alaska’ OR\\LossLocationState=‘Arizona’ OR \\LossLocationState=‘Arkansas’) AND\\LossLocationCountry=‘United States’. Other combinations of logicaloperators are also possible.

During operation, after the user has selected the common rules andcommon rule parameter values, the user may then associate the commonrules and common rule parameter values with the selected rule. Forexample, by selecting the save control 1004, the user indicates to thecommon evaluative expression module 214 to save the common rulesassociated with the selected rule. In one implementation, the commonevaluative expression module 214 communicates the parameters andparameter values selected by the user to the evaluative expressiongenerator module 220. The evaluative expression generator module 220 maythen communicate the parameter values selected by the user to theevaluative expression tables 202-210. For example, the evaluativeexpression generator module 220 may populate the T_RULE entry of theevaluative expression support table 204 with the parameter valuesreceived from the common evaluative expression module 214.Alternatively, or in addition, the evaluative expression generatormodule 220 may append the selected parameter values to a preexistingparameter value stored by the T_RULE entry of the evaluative expressionsupport table 204. In yet a further addition or alternative, theevaluative expression generator module 220 populates or appends valuesto other entries, such as the T_COMMON_RULE entry.

Advanced Rules (Navigation and Display Rules)

In addition to associating common rules, a user may also view orassociate advanced rule parameters to a previously configured rule or anewly created rule. Using the advanced parameter selection control 316(FIG. 3), a user may view or edit the advanced rule parameters for arule, including display rules, navigation rules, and discrepancy rules.However, the rule generation system 102 may use the access level of auser to restrict or prevent the user from manipulating the advanced ruleparameters for every category of a rule. For example, the rulegeneration system 102 may be operative to permit an advanced user toedit the advanced rule parameters for each of the rule categories. Asanother example, the rule generation system 102 may be operative topermit basic users to only edit the advanced rule parameters for displayrules. Hence, using the access level of a user, the rule generationsystem 102 may be operative to grant different levels of access to theadvanced rule parameters for the various rule categories.

FIGS. 11-15 show various examples of building an advanced rule for adisplay rule using an advanced evaluation expression communicationinterface 1100 implemented by the advanced evaluative expression module216 of FIG. 2. FIG. 11 shows an advanced evaluative expressioncommunication interface 1100 for the display rule that includes a ruleexpression display section 1102 and an add rule display section 1104.The rule expression display section 1102 is operative to display theadvanced portion of a rule and may receive text input from a user. Theadd rule display section 1104 is operative to assist the user inbuilding the advanced portion of the rule. The add rule display section1104 may be in communication with the rule expression display section1102, such that selections made in the add rule display section 1104appear in the rule expression display section 1102.

The rule expression display section 1102 includes various controls formanipulating and verifying a rule. In one implementation, the ruleexpression display section 1102 includes a view full expression control1106, a clear control 1108, and a validate expression control 1110. Theview full expression control 1106 is operative to instruct the advancedevaluative expression module 216 to display the entire rule, includingthe common portion and the advanced portion. In displaying the entirerule, the advanced evaluative expression module 216 may communicate withthe evaluative expression tables 202-210 to retrieve one or moreparameter values from the entries of the evaluative expression tables202-210, such as the T_RULE entry, the T_COMMON_RULE entry, or theT_ADVANCED_RULE entry. The clear control 1108 is operative to instructthe advanced evaluative expression module 216 to remove all of theadvanced rules associated with the selected rule. The validateexpression control 1110 is operative to instruct the advanced evaluativeexpression module 216 to validate the advanced rule displayed in therule expression display section 1102. The evaluative expression module216 may validate the displayed advanced rule by determining whether thesyntax of the advanced rule is correct or whether the advanced ruleconforms to expected rules of a previously configured grammar. In oneimplementation, the syntax of the advanced rule may be validated bycomparing the advanced rule, such as an XPath query, with a previouslyconfigured document, such as an XML document. Where the advanced ruledoes not conform to the XML document, the evaluative expression module216 may display an error stating that the syntax is incorrect and thatthe advanced rule is invalid.

The add rule display section 1104 assists the user in building anadvanced rule. The illustrated example of the add rule display section1104 includes various expression controls, including parenthesiscontrols, a logical AND control, a logical OR control, a COMPLETEcontrol. In other examples, any other logic may be selected or otherwiseimplemented with the add rule display section 1104. The logical ANDcontrol, the logical OR control, and the COMPLETE control are operativeto instruct the advanced evaluative expression module 216 to validatethe criteria selected from the add rule display section 1104, manipulatethe selected criteria into a previously configured syntax, such asXPath, and append the criteria to the existing rule displayed in theview expression display section 1102. During operation in this example,selection of the AND control causes the word AND to append to the end ofthe rule, the OR control causes the word OR to append to the end of therule, and the COMPLETE control does not append any keywords to the endof the rule. Table 9 lists the controls for the add rule display section1004 and provides a brief description of each.

TABLE 9 Control Name Brief Description ( Appends a “(” to the ruleexpression. ) Appends a “)” to the rule expression. And Validates andCreates the expression from the entered data in the Add Rules section,appends an “And” keyword and adds it to the Rule Expression text box. OrValidates and Creates the expression from the entered data in the AddRules section, appends an “Or” keyword and adds it to the RuleExpression text box. Complete Validates and Creates the expression fromthe entered data in the Add Rules section and appends it to the RuleExpression text box. In one implementation, the Complete control isconfigured to determine whether any open parenthesis or brackets remainin the rule and to close those open parenthesis or brackets.

The add rule display section 1104 may also display one or more operatorsand operands for adding to the advanced portion of the rule. Thedisplayed operators and operands may vary depending on the selected rulecategory. For example, a navigation rule or a display rule may havedifferent operators and operands than a discrepancy rule. Table 10 listsan example of various display operators and operands, a briefdescription of each, and the category associated with the operator oroperand.

TABLE 10 Control Name Brief Description Rule Category Starting Page NodeAllows the user to select the page display name to Discrepancy be usedas the starting point when entering a Node Evaluation Discrepancy ReportRule. Add Adds the selected Starting Page Node to the Rule DiscrepancyExpression textbox when entering a Node Evaluation Discrepancy ReportRule. Operand Type (1) Allows the user to select what type of operand isDisplay, Navigation, required to create the rule evaluation. DiscrepancyOperand (1) Displays the Question Text when a user has Display,Navigation, selected a question type operand or displays a Discrepancydropdown of the page node names when the user selects a node typeoperand. Select (Operand 1) Allows the user to search for a question.Display, Navigation, Discrepancy Operand 1 A combobox displaying allselectable nodes in the Display, Navigation, (Combobox) node count ornode attribute evaluation. Discrepancy Evaluate all instances of aquestion. When checked, the system evaluates all instances Display,Navigation, of a question instead of a specific instance. DiscrepancyOperator Allows the user to select the logical operator for Display,Navigation, the rule. Discrepancy Operand Type (2) Provides the userwith choice of Question or Display, Navigation, Value. DiscrepancyOperand (2) If the user has selected question as the second Display,Navigation, operand the Operand (2) display the Question DiscrepancyText. Select (Operand 2) Enables the user to search for a question forthe Display, Navigation, second operand. Discrepancy Value Providesinput for user to enter a value for the right Display, Navigation, handside of the operator. Discrepancy

The advanced evaluative expression module 216 may implement varioussafeguards for creating an advanced rule for a display rule or anavigation rule. The preconfigured safeguards may be stored as part ofthe executable instruction sets 114, as part of the programming for theadvanced evaluative expression module 216, or stored in the memorystorage device 112 and retrievable by the advanced evaluative expressionmodule 216. For example, the Operand Type (1) parameter may bepre-assigned a value, such as “Question,” when the selected rule is adisplay rule or a navigation rule. When creating the advanced portion ofa navigation rule or a display rule, the advanced evaluative expressionmodule 216 may further use absolute pathing to add the selected questionto the advanced portion of the rule. In other configurations, theadvanced evaluative expression module 216 may use relative pathing toadd the selected question to the advanced portion of the rule. Ingeneral, absolute pathing is evaluating a rule starting with the highestnode of the path and evaluating each node that matches the path. Incontrast, relative pathing generally refers to evaluating a rulestarting with a starting page node. With relative pathing, the rulegeneration system 102 starts its evaluation from the starting page nodeand evaluates inwards instead of evaluating the entire path.

When the parameter value of the Operand Type (1) parameter is“Question,” the advanced evaluative expression module 216 may requirethat the user select a parameter value for the Operand Type (2)parameter. For example, the advanced evaluative expression module 216may maintain an association as part of the executable instruction sets114 that where the Operand Type (1) parameter value is “Question,” theOperand Type (2) parameter should have a parameter value. Examples ofparameter values for the Operand Type (2) parameter include “Value” and“Question.” Other parameter values are also possible.

The advanced evaluative expression module 216 may also have safeguardsrelating to the Operator parameter. For example, the advanced evaluativeexpression module 216 may determine whether the displayed operatorchoices are consistent with the type of evaluation. Where the user hasselected numeric comparison, the advanced evaluative expression module216 may determine that the valid operators are “+,” “−,” “=,” “<=,”“>=,” or “< >.” Where the user has selected a string comparison or acode value, the advanced evaluative expression module 216 may determinethat the valid operators are “< >” and “=.” The advanced evaluativeexpression module 216 may determine that other valid operators are alsopossible.

Where the Operand Type (1) parameter value is “Question” and the OperandType (2) parameter value is selected as “Value,” the advanced evaluativeexpression module 216 may prompt the user to provide a numerical valuefor the Operand (2) parameter value. In addition, when the Operand Type(2) parameter value is selected as “Value,” the available input for theparameter value matches the associated datatype of the question. Theadvanced evaluative expression module 216 may communicate with theinsurance claim processing computer system to determine the datatype ofthe question. The datatype of a question may be any datatype including,but not limited to, String, integer, Boolean, or other datatype. As oneexample, where the selected question datatype is an integer, then atextbox that only accepts integers is displayed to the user. As anotherexample, where the selected question datatype is a code/decode value,then a drop-down box displaying the available code/decode values isdisplayed to the user. Other values for the Operand Type (2) parameterare also possible. In addition, where the user selects “Question” as theparameter value for the Operand Type (2) parameter, the user may searchfor a question to be used as the Operand (2) parameter value. The rulegeneration system 102 may then perform a question value to questionvalue comparison.

FIGS. 11-15 show an example of selecting advanced rule parameters for adisplay rule to aid the reader. FIG. 11 shows that no operators,operands, or values have been selected for the advanced portion of thedisplay rule. FIG. 12 shows that the parameter value for the OperandType (1) parameter is “Question” and that the parameter value for theOperand (1) parameter is “Is the vehicle drivable?” FIG. 13 shows thatthe parameter value for the Operator parameter is “=” and that theparameter value for the Operand Type (2) parameter is “Value.” FIG. 14shows an example of selecting “Question” for the parameter value of theOperand Type (2) parameter. Finally, FIG. 15 shows the advanced portionof the rule in the rule expression display section 1102 using theparameter values from FIGS. 12-13.

Advanced Rules (Discrepancy Rules)

FIG. 16 shows an example of an edit-discrepancy-evaluative-expressioncommunication interface 1600 implemented by the evaluative expressionparameter module of FIG. 2. The edit-discrepancy-evaluative-expressioncommunication interface 1600 is associated with an edit mode anddisplays a detail rule parameter interface for configuring the ruleparameters of a node discrepancy report rule. After configuring the ruleparameters of a node discrepancy report rule, a user may then configurethe common rule parameters, or may proceed to the advanced ruleparameters. For purposes of brevity, the details regarding the commonrule parameters is hereby omitted, as the common rule parameters for adiscrepancy rule may be similar or identical to the common ruleparameters for a navigation or display rule.

However, a discrepancy rule may have a different set of advanced ruleparameters compared with a navigation rule or a display rule. FIGS.17-23 show an example of building an advanced rule portion of adiscrepancy rule using an advanced evaluative expression communicationinterface 1100 implemented by the advanced evaluative expression moduleof FIG. 2. For the example shown in FIG. 17-23, the discrepancy rule isa node discrepancy report rule. As earlier discussed, a node discrepancyreport rule is a rule that determines whether node discrepancies existin the insurance claim processing computer system.

FIG. 17 shows the advanced evaluative expression communication interface1100 where no operands or operators have been selected for building adiscrepancy rule. In particular the advanced evaluative expressioncommunication interface 1100 is an example of configuring the advancedevaluative expression communication interface 1100 for a node resultdiscrepancy rule. However, other configurations of the advancedevaluative expression communication interface 1100 are also possible.

Initially, when a user creates a node result discrepancy rule, the useris given the option to select a starting page node. As shown in FIG. 17,the advanced evaluative expression communication interface 1100initially starts with a starting page node parameter and an Operand Type(1) parameter. Selecting the add control causes the advanced evaluativeexpression parameter module 216 to begin the evaluation of the advancedportion of the rule.

In contrast to a navigation rule or a display rule, a discrepancy ruleis configurable with different operands from the Operand Type (1)parameter. Table 11 lists the examples of various parameter values forthe Operand Type (1) parameter for a discrepancy rule. However, theparameter values for the Operand Type (1) may include more than or lessthan the parameter values shown in Table 11.

TABLE 11 Parameter Value Brief Description Question The Question operandevaluates a questions value to either the value for that question aspreviously answered or the value of another question. Comparing questionto question may be used when the questions are of similar data type.Example: //WasAnyonesvehicleDamaged=’Y’ Question Answer The QuestionAnswer Count operand evaluates the Count number of times a question wasanswered with a specific value. Example:Count(//IsIndivInjured[.=’Y’])=0) Question Count The Question Countoperand evaluates the number of times a question was presented during aconversation. Example: Count(//KeyFacts/WhatTypeofAccident)=0 NodeAttribute The Node Attribute operand evaluates the value of a specificattribute for a node in XML. Example: ./DamageDetails/@id=” Node CountThe node count evaluated how many times a specific node appears in theXML node tree. Example: Count(./TotalLossEval) = 0

In creating a node result discrepancy rule, the rule generation system102 is operative to track the page node name of the page node, such asthrough the use of the evaluative expression database 116 or through theinsurance claim processing computer system. The rule generation system102 uses tracking to help the advanced evaluative expression module 216determine the type of pathing, relative or absolute, to use whengenerating the evaluative expression of the advanced portion of therule. For example, the rule generation system 102 may detect that theselected question for the advanced portion of the rule is located on achild node of the starting node given in the Starting Node Pageparameter. In this example, the advanced evaluative expression module216 uses relative pathing to write the advanced portion of the rulebecause the node on which the question exists is a child node, and therule generation system 102 uses the starting node from the Starting NodePage parameter in evaluating the rule. In contrast, where the rulegeneration system 102 detects that the selected question for theadvanced portion of the rule exists on a node other than a child node ofthe starting node, the advanced evaluative expression module 216 usesthe absolute path of question to generate the advanced portion of therule. Similar determinations may be made where the Operand Type (1)parameter is selected to be Question Count, Question Answer Count, NodeCount and Node Attribute evaluations.

Although the advanced evaluative expression module 216 may use differenttypes of pathing for a node result discrepancy rule, the advancedevaluative expression module 216 may be operative to use one type ofpathing for other types of rules. For example, the advanced evaluativeexpression module 216 may use absolute pathing for creating the advancedportion of an evaluative discrepancy report rule. Other types of pathingfor other types of rules are also possible.

The advanced evaluative expression module 216 may also be operative tohelp a user search for a question in the insurance claim processingcomputer system for use in the advanced portion of the rule. In oneimplementation, where a user selects Question, Question Count orQuestion Answer Count as the parameter value for the Operand Type (1)parameter, the advanced evaluative expression module 216 displays aSelect control 1902 (FIG. 19) on the advanced evaluative expressioncommunication interface 1100 that helps the user to search for aQuestion. Selecting the Select control 1902 may display another oralternative communication interface that displays the questions in theinsurance claim processing computer system or a search option forsearching through the questions in the insurance claim processingcomputer system.

The rule generation system 102 may be operative to evaluate allinstances of a question rather than a single instance of the question.In one implementation, the advanced evaluative expression module 216displays an option via the advanced evaluative expression communicationinterface 1100 for indicating that the rule generation system 102 shouldevaluative all instances of a selected question. Where the user selectsto evaluate all instances of a question, the advanced evaluativeexpression module 216 may append a syntax indicator for absolute pathingto the beginning of the evaluative expression of the advanced portion ofthe rule. For example, the advanced evaluative expression module 216 mayappend the characters “l/” to the beginning of the advanced portion ofthe rule.

Selecting other types of operands for the Operand Type (1) parameter maypresent additional options to the user. For example, there may beadditional options associated with the Node Count operand or the NodeAttribute operand. In one implementation, where the user selects theNode Count operand or the Node Attribute operand, the advancedevaluative expression module 216 is operative to display on the advancedevaluative expression communication interface 1100 a drop-down list ofall of the page node names in the insurance claim processing computersystem.

After providing the operands and operators using the advanced evaluativeexpression communication interface 1100, the user may then save theadvanced rule by selecting a Save control. In one implementation,selecting the Save control causes the advanced evaluative expressionmodule 216 to communicate the advanced portion of the rule to theevaluative expression generator module 220. The evaluative expressiongenerator module 220 may then communicate the advanced portion of therule to one or more evaluative expression tables 202-210. For example,the evaluative expression generator module 220 may append the advancedportion of the rule to the T_RULE entry associated with the rule, or maypopulate the T_ADVANCED_RULE entry associated with the rule. However,the evaluative expression generator module 220 may also populate otherentries of the evaluative expression tables 202-210. Moreover, the rulegeneration system 102 may be operative to prohibit or prevent the userfrom using the Save control until the rule is provided with a commonportion, an advanced portion, or both.

FIGS. 18-20 also show an example of building an advanced portion of anode discrepancy report rule. FIG. 18 shows the advanced evaluativeexpression communication interface 1100 where the user has selected astarting page node for the advanced portion of the node discrepancyreport rule. FIG. 19 shows the advanced evaluative expressioncommunication interface 1100 where the user selected the Questionoperand as the parameter value for the Operand Type (1) parameter. FIG.20 shows the advanced evaluative expression communication interface 1100where the user selected the “=” operator for the Operator parameter andthe Value operand for the Operand Type (2) parameter. FIG. 20 furthershows that the parameter values for the Value parameter correspond tothe type of answers expected for the selected questions. FIG. 21 showsthat the user has added the criteria from FIGS. 18-20 to the advancedportion of the node discrepancy report rule. FIG. 21 also shows that theuser has selected a logical AND operator.

FIGS. 22-23 show the user building a second advanced portion of the nodediscrepancy report rule of FIGS. 17-21. FIG. 22 shows that user hasselected the Node Count operand for the Operand Type (1) parameter, thatthe parameter values for the Operand parameter correspond to the pagenode names in the insurance claim processing computer system, and thatthe Operand Type (2) parameter value is Value. Finally, FIG. 23 showsthat the user has added the second advanced portion to the nodediscrepancy report rule. As previously discussed, the advancedevaluative expression module 216 is operative to build upon previouslyconfigured advanced portions of rules, and in the example shown in FIG.23, the advanced evaluative expression module 216 has read from theparameter values selected by the user and appended those parametervalues to the first advanced portion previously created. Although FIGS.17-23 provide an example of a user building an advanced rule with onlytwo advanced portions, a user may add up to an infinite amount ofadvanced portions to a rule. Conversely, a rule may only have one or noadvanced portion. The configuration possibilities for an advanced ruleare unlimited.

Discrepancy Messages

FIGS. 24-25 show examples of evaluation expression communicationinterfaces 2400-2500 implemented by the discrepancy evaluativeexpression module 218 of FIG. 2. In general, the discrepancy evaluativeexpression module 218 is operative to associate text messages with adiscrepancy rule, such as an evaluative discrepancy report rule or anode discrepancy report rule. FIG. 24 shows an example of an evaluativeexpression communication interface 2400 implemented by the discrepancyevaluative expression module 218 for associating text messages with adiscrepancy rule.

In one implementation, the evaluative expression communication interface2400 includes three display sections: a discrepancy question displaysection 2402, a discrepancy text display section 2404, and a discrepancylocale display section 2404. In one implementation, a question generallyhas three parts: a question name, a text name, and a text message. Thediscrepancy question display section 2402 is operative to display thequestion name of the question associated with the discrepancy rule. Thediscrepancy text display section 2404 is operative to display the nameof the text message. The discrepancy locale display section 2404 isoperative to display the text message associated with the discrepancyrule. Where the text message is displayable in more than one language,the discrepancy text display section 2404 displays the text discrepancymessage in its various languages. Table 12 shows the various parametersdisplayed in the evaluative expression communication interface 2400 andtheir associated entries in the evaluative expression tables 202-210.

TABLE 12 Parameter Entry Table Discrepancy Question N_QUESTION_IDEvaluative expression association table 208 Text Name M_CONV_TEXT_NMEvaluative expression text table 206 Discrepancy Text T_MSG_TEXTEvaluative expression text table 206

Using the Select controls of the evaluative expression communicationinterface 2400, a user may search for either the name of the question orthe name of the text message associated with a question. For example,selecting the Select control of the discrepancy question display section2402 allows the user to search for the question name of a question,select the question name of the question, and associate the questionwith the discrepancy rule. Associating the question with the discrepancyrule also associates the text message associated with the question withthe discrepancy rule. As another example, selecting the Select controlof the discrepancy text display section 2404 allows the user to searchfor the text name of a text message, and associate the text message withthe discrepancy rule. Associating the text message with the discrepancyrule also associates the question associated with the text message withthe discrepancy rule. While numerous text messages may be associatedwith a discrepancy rule, the discrepancy evaluative expression module218 may restrict the number of text messages to one text message perdiscrepancy rule. Similarly, the discrepancy evaluative expressionmodule 218 may require that at least one text message is associated witha discrepancy rule. However, the number of text messages associated witha discrepancy rule may be zero or unlimited.

In general, the text messages are stored in the evaluative expressiondatabase 116. When the evaluative expression module 218 associates atext message with a discrepancy rule, the evaluative expression module218 communicates with one or more tables 202-210 to store theassociation between the text message and the discrepancy rule.

The evaluative expression module 218 receives the selection of the textmessage. In general, the text message may be identified by a systemidentifier, numerical or otherwise. The evaluative expression module 218then communicates the text message system identifier to the evaluativeexpression tables 202-210 to associate the text message with thediscrepancy rule. For example, the evaluative expression module 218 maystore the text message system identifier as a parameter value for theN_CONV_TEXT_ID entry of the evaluative expression association table 208.The N_CONV_TEXT_ID entry of the evaluative expression association table208 may then be used as a foreign key to the N_CONV_TEXT_ID entry, orother entries, of the evaluative expression text table 206. Theevaluative expression module 218 may also store the question name of thequestion associated with the text message in one of the evaluativeexpression tables 202-210. Alternatively, a question may have a systemidentifier and the evaluative expression module 218 stores the questionsystem identifier in one or more evaluative expression tables 202 toassociate the question with the discrepancy rule.

The discrepancy evaluative expression module 218 is also operative todisplay an evaluative expression communication interface for viewing thediscrepancy message details of a discrepancy rule. FIG. 25 shows anevaluative expression communication interface 2500 implemented by thediscrepancy evaluative expression module 218 for viewing the messagedetails of a selected discrepancy rule. In displaying the messagedetails of a selected discrepancy rule, the discrepancy evaluativeexpression module 218 is operative to retrieve the parameter valuesdisplayed by the display sections 2402-2406 from the evaluativeexpression tables 202-210 and the evaluative expression database 116.

FIG. 26 shows an example of logic flow 2600 for generating an evaluativeexpression using the rule generation system 102 of FIG. 1. Initially,the evaluative expression framework 118 is implemented (2602). Theevaluative expression parameter module 212 then receives the rule detailparameter values for a new rule (2604). Similarly, the common evaluativeexpression module 214 receives common rule parameter values (2606) forcreating the common portion of a rule, or the advanced evaluativeexpression module 216 receives advanced rule parameter values (2608) forcreating the advanced portion of a rule.

The rule generation system 102 then determines whether the created ruleis a discrepancy rule (2610). Where the new rule is a discrepancy rule,the discrepancy evaluative expression module 218 receives discrepancymessage parameter values from the user (2612). The discrepancyevaluative expression module 218 then stores the discrepancy messagedetail parameter values in the evaluative expression database 116, suchas in the entries of one or more evaluative expression tables 202-210.Thereafter, the rule generation system 102 proceeds to store the ruleparameter values (rule detail parameter values, common rule parameters,and advanced rule parameter values) in the evaluative expressiondatabase 116. However, where the rule generation system 102 determinesthat the created rule is not a discrepancy rule, the rule generationsystem 102 may proceed to store the rule parameter values (rule detailparameter values, common rule parameters, and advanced rule parametervalues) in the evaluative expression database 116.

The elements illustrated in the Figures interoperate as explained indetail above. In implementing the system described above, one or moretechnologies may be used. However, the technologies are merely exemplaryand alternative technologies may be used as well. For example, thesystem may be implemented in one or more computer programming languages.Examples of computer programming languages include ASP, C, and PHP. Thesystem may also use various computer programming frameworks includingthe .NET framework available from Microsoft Corporation located inRedmond, Wash. The system may also use various database technologiesincluding Microsoft SQL Server, also available from the MicrosoftCorporation. In addition, the system may use markup languages, such asXML for transmitting data structures and additional data typedefinitions, HTML, DHTML, or other markup languages.

All of the discussion, regardless of the particular implementationdescribed, is exemplary in nature, rather than limiting. For example,although selected aspects, features, or components of theimplementations are depicted as being stored in memories, all or part ofsystems and methods consistent with the innovations may be stored on,distributed across, or read from other machine-readable media, forexample, secondary storage devices such as hard disks, floppy disks, andCD-ROMs; a signal received from a network; or other forms of ROM or RAMeither currently known or later developed.

Furthermore, although specific components of innovations were described,methods, systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with theinnovation may include additional or different components. For example,a processor may be implemented as a microprocessor, microcontroller,insurance application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), discreetlogic, or a combination of other categories of circuits or logic.Similarly, memories may be DRAM, SRAM, Flash or any other category ofmemory. Flags, data, databases, tables, entities, and other datastructures may be separately stored and managed, may be incorporatedinto a single memory or database, may be distributed, or may belogically and physically organized in many different ways. Programs maybe parts of a single program, separate programs, or distributed acrossseveral memories and processors. The framework used herein may be anydiagram, plan, scheme, organizational pattern, structure, schema, orcombinations thereof. The framework may further describe one or moredatabases to a database management system, including the aspects of adatabase, such as attributes, fields, domains, and parameters of theattributes or fields.

While various embodiments of the innovation have been described, it willbe apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many moreembodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of theinnovation. Accordingly, the innovation is not to be restricted exceptin light of the attached claims and their equivalents.

1. A rule generation system comprising: a memory storage devicecomprising: an evaluative expression framework defining an evaluativeexpression category; an evaluative expression parameter associated withthe evaluative expression category, wherein the evaluative expressionparameter defines the evaluative expression category type of anevaluative expression; and executable instructions that define: anevaluative expression parameter module operative to receive anevaluative expression parameter value that represents the evaluativeexpression category type for the evaluative expression parameter; and anevaluative expression generator module operative to generate anevaluative expression using the received evaluative expression parametervalue, wherein the evaluative expression defines a conditional statementthat corresponds to the evaluative expression category type; and aprocessor operative to execute the executable instructions.
 2. The rulegeneration system of claim 1, wherein: the evaluative expressioncategory comprises a navigation evaluative expression category; theevaluative expression parameter is further associated with thenavigation evaluative expression category; and the evaluative expressionparameter module is further operative to: implement anedit-navigation-evaluative-expression communication interface; anddisplay the evaluative expression parameter with theedit-navigation-evaluative-expression communication interface.
 3. Therule generation system of claim 2, wherein: the evaluative expressioncategory is a first evaluative expression category; the evaluativeexpression parameter is a first evaluative expression parameter; theevaluative expression framework further defines: a second evaluativeexpression category comprising a display evaluative expression category;a third evaluative expression category comprising a discrepancyevaluative expression category; a second evaluative expression parameterthat defines a property of a display evaluative expression and isassociated with the second evaluative expression category; and a thirdevaluative expression parameter that defines a property of a discrepancyevaluative expression and is associated with the third evaluativeexpression category; and the evaluative expression parameter module isfurther operative to: implement an edit-display-evaluative-expressioncommunication interface; implement anedit-discrepancy-evaluative-expression communication interface; displaythe second evaluative expression parameter with theedit-display-evaluative-expression communication interface; and displaythe third evaluative expression parameter with theedit-discrepancy-evaluative-expression communication interface.
 4. Therule generation system of claim 1, wherein: the evaluative expression isa first evaluative expression; and executable instruction sets furtherdefine: a common evaluative expression module operative to receive acommon evaluative expression parameter value that defines a secondevaluative expression as a common portion of the first evaluativeexpression.
 5. The rule generation system of claim 4, wherein the commonevaluative expression module is further operative to: implement anadd-common-evaluative-expression communication interface operative toassociate a first common evaluative expression parameter value with thesecond evaluative expression; and implement adisplay-common-evaluative-expression communication interface operativeto display a second common evaluative expression parameter valuepreviously associated with the second evaluative expression.
 6. The rulegeneration system of claim 4, wherein the evaluative expressiongenerator module is further operative to generate the first evaluativeexpression using the common evaluative expression parameter valuereceived by the common evaluative expression module.
 7. The rulegeneration system of claim 1, wherein: the executable instruction setsfurther define: an advanced evaluative expression module operative toreceive an advanced evaluative expression parameter value that definesan advanced portion of the evaluative expression, wherein the advancedevaluative expression parameter comprises an advanced evaluativeexpression operand that defines an operand of the advanced portion ofthe evaluative expression; and the evaluative expression generatormodule is further operative to generate the evaluative expression basedon the advanced evaluative expression parameter value received by theadvanced evaluative expression module.
 8. The rule generation system ofclaim 1, wherein the executable instruction sets further define: adiscrepancy evaluative expression module operative to associate amessage with the evaluative expression generated by the evaluativeexpression generator module, wherein the message is displayed when theevaluative expression is evaluated to a predetermined value.
 9. A methodfor generating rules comprising: implementing an evaluative expressionframework defining an evaluative expression category; associating anevaluative expression parameter with the evaluative expression category,wherein the evaluative expression parameter defines the evaluativeexpression category type of an evaluative expression; receiving anevaluative expression parameter value that represents the evaluativeexpression category type for the evaluative expression parameter; andgenerating an evaluative expression using the received evaluativeexpression parameter value, wherein the evaluative expression defines aconditional statement that corresponds to the evaluative expressioncategory type.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluativeexpression category comprises a navigation evaluative expressioncategory, and further comprising: associating the evaluative expressionparameter with the navigation evaluative expression category;implementing an edit-navigation-evaluative-expression communicationinterface; and displaying the evaluative expression parameter with theedit-navigation-evaluative-expression communication interface.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, wherein: the evaluative expression category is afirst evaluative expression category; the evaluative expressionparameter is a first evaluative expression parameter; and furthercomprising: defining a second evaluative expression category thatcomprises a display evaluative expression category; defining a thirdevaluative expression category that comprises a discrepancy evaluativeexpression category; associating a second evaluative expressionparameter that defines a property of a display evaluative expression andis with the second evaluative expression category; associating a thirdevaluative expression parameter that defines a property of a discrepancyevaluative expression and is associated with the third evaluativeexpression category; implementing an edit-display-evaluative-expressioncommunication interface; implementing anedit-discrepancy-evaluative-expression communication interface;displaying the second evaluative expression parameter with theedit-display-evaluative-expression communication interface; anddisplaying the third evaluative expression parameter with theedit-discrepancy-evaluative-expression communication interface.
 12. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the evaluative expression is a firstevaluative expression and further comprising: receiving a commonevaluative expression parameter value that defines a second evaluativeexpression as a common portion of the first evaluative expression. 13.The method of claim 12, further comprising: implementing anadd-common-evaluative-expression communication interface to associatethe common evaluative expression parameter value with the secondevaluative expression; and implementing adisplay-common-evaluative-expression communication interface to displaythe common evaluative expression parameter value associated with thesecond evaluative expression.
 14. The method of claim 12, whereingenerating the first evaluative expression comprises generating thefirst evaluative expression using the received common evaluativeexpression parameter value.
 15. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising: receiving an advanced evaluative expression parameter valuethat defines an advanced portion of the evaluative expression, whereinthe advanced evaluative expression parameter comprises an advancedevaluative expression operand that defines an operand of the advancedportion of the evaluative expression; and wherein generating theevaluative expression comprises generating the evaluative expressionbased on the received advanced evaluative expression parameter value.16. The method of claim 9, further comprising: associating a messagewith the previously generated evaluative expression, wherein the messageis displayed when the evaluative expression is evaluated to apredetermined value.
 17. A product comprising: a machine readablemedium; and logic stored on the machine readable medium operative to:implement an evaluative expression framework defining an evaluativeexpression category; receive an evaluative expression parameter valuefor the evaluative expression parameter, wherein the evaluativeexpression parameter defines the evaluative expression category type ofan evaluative expression; and generate an evaluative expression usingthe received evaluative expression parameter value, wherein theevaluative expression defines a conditional statement that correspondsto the evaluative expression category type.
 18. The product of claim 17,wherein: the evaluative expression category comprises a navigationevaluative expression category; the evaluative expression parameter isfurther associated with the navigation evaluative expression category;and the logic is further operative to: implement anedit-navigation-evaluative-expression communication interface; anddisplay the evaluative expression parameter with theedit-navigation-evaluative-expression communication interface.
 19. Theproduct of claim 18, wherein: the evaluative expression category is afirst evaluative expression category; the evaluative expressionparameter is a first evaluative expression parameter; the evaluativeexpression framework further defines: a second evaluative expressioncategory comprising a display evaluative expression category; a thirdevaluative expression category comprising a discrepancy evaluativeexpression category; a second evaluative expression parameter thatdefines a property of a display evaluative expression and is associatedwith the second evaluative expression category; and a third evaluativeexpression parameter that defines a property of a discrepancy evaluativeexpression and is associated with the third evaluative expressioncategory; and the logic is further operative to: implement anedit-display-evaluative-expression communication interface; implement anedit-discrepancy-evaluative-expression communication interface; displaythe second evaluative expression parameter with theedit-display-evaluative-expression communication interface; and displaythe third evaluative expression parameter with theedit-discrepancy-evaluative-expression communication interface.
 20. Theproduct of claim 17, wherein: the evaluative expression is a firstevaluative expression; and the logic is further operative to: receive acommon evaluative expression parameter value that defines a secondevaluative expression as a common portion of the first evaluativeexpression.
 21. The product of claim 20, wherein the logic is furtheroperative to: implement an add-common-evaluative-expressioncommunication interface operative to associate a first common evaluativeexpression parameter value with the second evaluative expression; andimplement a display-common-evaluative-expression communication interfaceoperative to display a second common evaluative expression parametervalue previously associated with the second evaluative expression. 22.The product of claim 20, wherein the logic is further operative togenerate the first evaluative expression using the received commonevaluative expression parameter value.
 23. The product of 17, whereinthe logic is further operative to: receive an advanced evaluativeexpression parameter value that defines an advanced portion of theevaluative expression, wherein the advanced evaluative expressionparameter comprises an advanced evaluative expression operand; thatdefines an operand of the advanced portion of the evaluative expressionand generate the evaluative expression based on the received advancedevaluative expression parameter value.
 24. The product of claim 17,wherein the logic is further operative to: associate a message with thepreviously generated evaluative expression, wherein the message isdisplayed when the evaluative expression is evaluated to a predeterminedvalue.